Cake box



CAKE BOX Filed Sept. 27, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 By 2mm /I Home y Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE This invention relates to an improved box or container such as is used in present-day grocery stores for displaying bakery products, such as small mixed cakes, cookies, and the like.

These boxes are generally provided with hinged glass covers and the cakes are packed therein in a plurality of layers divided by pieces of partitioning cardboard. Naturally, as the topmost layers are sold and the box becomes less than half full it is more difiicult for the salesman to convince the purchaser of the freshness of the goods.

It is a matter of common knowledge that prospective customers select cakes of this kind 1! from full boxes. In fact, it is difficult to sell the lower layer of cakes particularly when there is but a small quantity of scattered cakes in the bottom of the box. The reason is that the purchaser apparently regards such goods as stale.

With the foregoing difficulty clear in mind,

I have evolved and produced a simple and economical appurtenance for cake boxes in the nature of an elevator or adjustable partition which may be brought into play for lifting the 5| cakes up to and within the vicinity of the cover as the top layers are sold, whereby to bring the lowermost cakes clearly within vision and to make it easier to sell the cakes as the quantity is gradually diminished.

I have accomplished this important and advantageous result through the instrumentality of a simple and economical device whose features will become more definitely apparent from the following description and drawings.

In the accompanying illustrative drawings wherein like numerals are employed to desig' nate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a hor'montal sectional view of a conventional box embodying the improvement. Figure 2 is a. vertical sectional view thereof. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the improvement per se.

Figure 4 is a. fragmentary detail sectional view showing the elevating false bottom raised to a point within the vicinity of the box cover (not shown).

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the ledge forming flange.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view.

In the drawings, the numeral '7 designates a conventional cookie or cake box of the variety hereinbefore described, the same being of general rectangular form and including adjoined walls 8 and 9. The walls are here shown as formed with intumedhorizontal flanges 10,

which flanges, as seen in Figures 5 and 6, are provided with guide slots 11.

The improved cookie elevator is indicated as a unit by the numeral 12 in Figure 3. It comprises a false bottom 13 made of cardboard or equivalent material and proportioned to fit in the box so that it may be progressively raised from the bottom toward the top of the box. The false bottom is raised through the instrumentality of a pair of opposed duplicate lifting and hanger straps 14. The lower ends of these straps are turned under and fastened to the false bottom as indicated at 15, and the upper free ends are turned in laterally as indicated at 16 to form finger grips. The numerals 1'7 designate vertically spaced horizontal score or fold lines and the numerals 18 designate V-shaped, struckout supporting tongues which may be forced out by the fingers to rest on the ledge-forming flange 10 as shown in Figures 4 and 6. 7

Normally when the box is full, the false bottom is lowered to the lowermost position represented in Figure 2. The upper end portions of the hanger or elevating straps 14 are extended through the guide slots 11 with the finger grips l6 seated on the ledge-forming flanges 10. As the cakes in the box are progressively sold, and when the quantity appears to have diminished to an elevation too low to encourage sales, the elevating or follower device 12 is brought into play for lifting the remaining cakes to the requisite elevation so that they will be clearly visible and in close proximity to the usual glass cover of the box (not shown). Obviously, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2, as the device 12 is lifted, the straps 14 are drawn up through the slots 11 and then bent over to retaining position as shown in Figure 2, the rim of the cover serving to hold the straps thus bent. The V-shaped tongues serve as temporary supports to facilitate progressive lifting of the false bottom, the tongues being forced out by hand and seated on the ledge-flange 10 as represented in Figure 4.

Broadly visualized, the device 12 may be referred to as a loose cake elevator for conven- 100 tional cake or cookie boxes. Likewise, it may be comprehended as a manually adjustable follower, and specifically as a false bottom with elevating and retaining means whereby it may be progressively lifted in a vertical manner to 105 elevate the contents of the box.

The gist of the invention, therefore, is found in the provision of an internal accessory for conventional cake boxes and the like whereby. the contents thereof may be gradually fed toward the discharge opening for more effective sale and display purposes. Although I show flanges 10 having slots 11 to serve as the guide and supporting means for the special lifting straps 14, it is understood that any suitable guide and retaining means (10 and 11) may be provided in practice. Moreover, while I mention that the follower device may be of cardboard, it is understood that it may be formed from a metal plate and bendable metal hanger arms such as could be merely bent over the upper edges of the walls of the box for maintenance purposes. All of these ideas come clearly within the comprehension of the inventive conception. It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size, and rearrange ment of details coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice, if desired.

What is claimed is:

In a structure of the class described, an open top box, certain of the walls of said box being formed at their upper ends with inturned slotted flanges, a false bottom in said box, a pair of opposed lifting and retaining straps connected to said false bottom and having their upper end portions extending up through and beyond the slots in said flanges, said straps being formed with struck-out tongues for selective use, whereby to permit the false bottom to be gradually and progressively raised and maintained in predetermined position.

CHRISTIAN J. PETERSON. 

